Trump's recent Tweet announcing a ban on transgender people being allowed to serve in the military is straight-up bigotry. Trump claims transpeople in the military are a distraction and too costly for the over $590 billion dollar military budget. Baloney! The truth is that of the 1.3 million active duty members of the military, 2,450 are transgender, according to a study by the RAND Corporation. This same study found that trans folks serving in the military have "minimal impact on readiness and health care costs" and any rise in cost represents a 0.04 to 0.13 percent increase in spending for the already serving members.

Radical Women joins in the outrage and protest by LGBTQ activists, feminists, military personnel and families about this so-called policy change. Even the Pentagon is questioning this decision and how it will be implemented.

Much like previous debates inclusion of people of color, women, lesbians and gays in military service, and the current debate on which bathroom trans people should be able to use, this issue is about denying people a right to exist and live with full dignity as human beings. It is NOT about whether or not to endorse the U.S. military.

As Black trans activist and writer, L'Lerret Jazelle Ailith said, "To ban us from the military not only feels like an attack on my humanity, but also an insult to my intelligence. We must be prepared and ready to see the bigger picture and fight back against that."

Radical Women is right there with Ailith! All who are opposed to inequality and discrimination in the workplace must also oppose it in the military. We can -- and must -- support total liberation of transpeople at the same time as we fight against the massive and destructive military machine.